New skills-building strategies to narrow supply-and-demand gaps in the technology workforce highlight activities by CompTIA, the world’s leading information technology (IT) certification and training body, at this week’s 23rd Annual ‘Back to School’ Summit.
The summit, a leading conference for global education executives, policymakers, philanthropists and investors, takes place Sept. 10-11 in New York City.
“We are excited to share our experiences and insights on how we can collectively attract new talent to the technology workforce and equip them with the confidence and skills to succeed,” said Donna Koppensteiner, chief revenue officer, CompTIA. “The fast-paced technology environment requires learning that is continuous, fluid, agile and competency based.
“Too many people suffer from a ‘confidence gap,’ thinking that their background, experience or skills leave them unqualified to work in tech,” she continued. “The reality is that with opportunity, resources and support they can thrive and grow in the tech community.”
A growing number of employers are focused on skills-based hiring and considering candidates who joined the workforce from pathways that may not include a college degree. In August 45% of active tech job postings in the U.S. did not specify a four-year degree requirement.1 These jobs are available in many areas, including tech support, cybersecurity, cloud computing, data and networks.
Cybersecurity and data offer a large number of immediate employment opportunities at all experience levels (entry, intermediate and advanced) and growth potential over the next decade. This year U.S. employers have listed about 100,000 job postings for dedicated cybersecurity job roles and another 324,000 tech job roles with significant cybersecurity skills requirements. The numbers are similar for data positions – nearly 200,000 job postings for dedicated data positions and another 317,000 in roles with significant data skills requirements.
CompTIA is the world’s leading IT certification and training body. More than 3.5 million people have earned CompTIA as part of the career progression from entry level to advanced practitioner.